Marriage milestone

In “an old house for old people” — a small, north Columbia home fit for two — Glen McBride’s fragile 97-year-old hands still prepare dinner most every night for her husband, Marcum.

Every other Sunday, the couple attends services at the Rocheport Christian Church, followed by lunch with friends at the Senior Center in Columbia. When the St. Louis Cardinals take to the field for televised games, Marcum and Glen still watch eagerly, hoping for a St. Louis win.

And, after years of marriage, the McBrides still share smiles and a passion for life.

On this day in 1927, Marcum McBride and Glen Jennings exchanged wedding vows; 77 years later, they couldn’t be more in love.

“Today, we still live like we did when we were young. Our eyesight is failing, but other than that we’re in good health,” Marcum said, laughing and turning to knock on his antique wooden kitchen table.

Born in 1906 in Clifton City and Rocheport, respectively, Marcum and Glen will turn 98 later this year.

“They’ve been happy years. We haven’t quarreled. Notice we don’t have any broken bones or anything,” Marcum said.

The couple met in 1925 when Marcum was sent from Jefferson City to Rocheport with the Missouri Highway Commission to construct Missouri’s first St. Louis/Kansas City highway, the “No. 2,” or the present-day Interstate 70. Two years later, they married and moved to Detroit, but they returned to mid-Missouri during the Great Depression.

“Things got tough after the stock market crash,” Marcum said. “We didn’t return to Detroit until 1934, but I managed to get my old job back with the Budd Co.”

On Jan. 9, 1931, their only son was born. Douglas J. McBride, 73, now lives in Glendale, Ariz. It’s been four years since the McBrides saw their son, but it is difficult for the family to travel as everyone ages.

“Time goes by for everyone, and proof of that is Mr. Reagan. Time is no respecter of persons,” Marcum said.

In 1969, Marcum retired from the ThyssenKrupp Budd Co. and the McBrides returned to Missouri in 1974. They have lived in the same home for the last 30 years.

Two years ago, the Rocheport Christian Church honored the McBrides on their 75th wedding anniversary with a nice, beautiful cake, Marcum said.

Today, as they celebrate 77 years of marriage, Marcum and Glen are thankful for their health and the times they’ve shared.

“It really doesn’t seem that long. We’ve lived a good life,” Glen said. “We don’t fuss and feud like they do nowadays. There’s just no sense in it.”